Bureau
Hans van Baalen MEP, President
Hans van Baalen was born in Rotterdam, The Netherlands, on June 17th 1960. He studied International Law and International Relations at Leyden University. He served in the Royal Netherlands Army as an Officer for International Civil-Military Co-operation (CIMIC). At present he holds the rank of Reserve Colonel. In 1988 he joined Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu as a Management Consultant. He left Deloitte in 1998 as Chief Executive Officer of Public Affairs Consultants, to start a career in politics.
In 1986 Hans van Baalen joined VVD, the Dutch Party for Freedom and Democracy. In 1988 he became a Member and subsequently Chairman of the Dutch Group of Liberal International. From 1993 until 1998 he was International Secretary on the National Executive Committee of VVD and was VVD National Campaign Manager for the 1998 and the 2003 general elections. In May 1998 he was presented with the VVD Thorbecke Award.
In September of 1999 Hans van Baalen succeeded Frits Bolkestein as a Member of the House of Representatives of the States General, the Lower House of Dutch Parliament. After the May 2002 general elections in which he lost his parliamentary seat, Reserve Officer Hans van Baalen went on a tour of duty to Bosnia for humanitarian relief work. In the January 2003 general elections, he recaptured his seat in Dutch Parliament. Hans van Baalen was Parliamentary Spokesman for VVD on Foreign & European Affairs and Defence. He was subsequently Chairman of the Standing Committees on Foreign Affairs and on Defence and of the Netherlands-Belgian Parliamentary Exchange Commission. He was a Member of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly. In 2009 he led VVD in the European elections and was installed as an MEP in Strasbourg on July 14th 2009. Hans van Baalen is a Member of the Committee on Foreign Affairs and the Subcommittee on Security and Defence and a Substitute Member of the Committee on Industry, Research and Energy. He is Chairman of the EP delegation to Japan.
Hans van Baalen became a Fellow of the 21st Century Trust in 1988. He has been a Member of the ELDR Party Council since 1993, a Vice President of Liberal International since 1997 and a Member of the LI Human Rights Committee since 1999. From 1999 until 2000 he was Special Rapporteur of LI on the Roma in Central and Eastern Europe. Hans van Baalen chaired the ELDR Manifesto Committee for the European elections in 2004 and was a Alternate Member of the EU Convention on the Future of Europe. In 2005 he was elected President of the Supervisory Committee of the Netherlands Institute for Multiparty Democracy (IMD).
Hans van Baalen became a Bureau Member of LI at the 50th Congress in Ottawa, October 2000, was re-elected at the 51st Congress in Budapest, March 2002, and again at the 52th Congress in Dakar, October 2003. He was elected Deputy President of Liberal International at the 53rd LI Congress in Sofia, Bulgaria, May 2005, re-elected at the 54th LI Congress in Marrakech, Morocco, October 2006, and again re-elected at the 55th LI Congress in Belfast, Northern Ireland, May 2008.
At the 56th LI Congress in Cairo, Egypt he was eleted President of Liberal International.
Hans van Baalen is married to Ineke Sybesma, Director of the Netherlands Victim Support Fund. They were married in Istanbul. They have a son called Robert who was born on May 14th 2006.
Juli Minoves Triquell, Deputy President
Born on 15 August, 1969 in Andorra la Vella, Andorra.
Academic background
- 1994: Master of Philosophy in Political Science (Comparative Politics, Political Philosophy and Political Economy) and PhD candidate, Yale University
- 1993: Master of Arts in Political Science, Yale University
- 1991: Licence Cum Laude in Economic and Social Sciences - Fribourg University, Switzerland, Licence thesis awarded with Summa Cum Laude
- 1986: Spanish State Diploma of Music and Piano, Music School of the Lyceum of Barcelona, Spain
- Baccalauréate Scientifique with awards 'Lycée Comte de Foix', Andorra
Languages
Catalan, French, Spanish, English, Italian and a good knowledge of German and Portuguese
Background in diplomacy
- 2001: Minister of Foreign Affairs
- 2000: Ambassador to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
- 1999: Ambassador to Finland and Switzerland
- 1998: Ambassador to the Kingdom of Spain
- 1998: Head of the Andorran delegation for the establishment of an International Criminal Court (ICC), Rome, 1998
- 1998: Member of the special group of diplomats of the United Nations regarding the inspections in Iraq
- 1998-97: Chief of Cabinet ad interim of the Minister of Foreign Affairs
- 1997: Head of the Andorran delegation to the UN Special Assembly Rio+5
- 1997-96: Vice-President of the United Nations General Assembly
- 1996: Ambassador to the Canada and to the United States
- 1995: Ambassador, Permanent representative to the United Nations
- October 1998, September 96, June 94: Chairman of the Western European and Other States Group (WEOG) at the United Nations
- March 1995: Representative of the principality of Andorra to the World Social Summit as Alternate Head of Delegation
- November 1994: Vice-Chairman of the 1994 United Nations Pledging Conference for the World Food Programme
- 1994: Minister plenipotentiary, Deputy Permanent Representative to the Permanent Mission of Andorra to the UN, Chargé ¤'Affaires.
- 1994-93: Counsellor at the Permanent Mission of Andorra to the UN
Medals and commendations - 1997: Great Cross of the Order of Merit of Portugal
Other professional and personal experiences
- 2000: Conference to the Association of Andorran Lawyers
- 1996: Conference on the role and place of Andorra in and within the United Nations, Catalan University in Prades, France
- 1993: Assistant professor of constitutional law and political economy at the department of Political Science at Yale University
- 1991-89: Teacher of Catalan language at the Migrosklubschule in Bern, Switzerland
- 1991: Conference on the future of Andorra in the international arena, Catalan University in Prades, France
- 1991: Special correspondent of Radio Andorra in the meetings between James Baker Tarek Asis on the Persian Gulf War
- 1990: Elaboration of a research paper on European corporate law at the Coordination office for the EEC of the Banco Bilbao Vizcaya, Brussels
- 1989: Elaboration of a research paper on the financing of the Andorran public sector at the Ministry of Finances.
- Member Andorran Liberal Party
Lord Alderdice, Past President
John Alderdice was born in Northern Ireland in 1955. He qualified in medicine at Queen's University, Belfast in 1978 and specialised in psychiatry becoming a Member of the Royal College of Psychiatrists in 1983.
He joined the Alliance Party in 1978 and was its elected Leader from 1987 to 1998. Elected to Belfast City Council in 1989 and to the Northern Ireland Forum in 1996 he became a key participant in the Northern Ireland Peace Process and a negotiator of the 1998 Good Friday Agreement. He was subsequently elected a member of the new Northern Ireland Assembly in June 1998, but surprised the political world when he decided to stand down as Alliance Leader after 11 years in the position, and was immediately appointed Speaker of the Assembly, a post he held until retiring in February 2004.
In 2003 he was appointed to serve on the four person Independent Monitoring Commission charged by the British and Irish Governments with monitoring paramilitary activity and security normalization in Northern Ireland. He was Treasurer and then Vice-President of ELDR between 1995 and 2003 and in 1996 he was appointed to the House of Lords, one of the youngest ever life peers. He sits on the Liberal Democrat benches. He is an Honorary Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland, and the Royal College of Psychiatrists and an Honorary Member of the British Psycho-analytical Society and the Peruvian Psychiatric Association. His main professional interest is the psychology of terrorism and political conflict.
Lord Alderdice was a Vice-President of Liberal International from 1992, Chairman of the Human Rights Committee from 1996 to 2005, and Deputy President from 2000 to 2005. He became President of Liberal International in May 2005. He describes his leisure interests as reading, music and gastronomy.
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/john.alderdice/
Dzhevdet Chakarov, Vice-President
Date of birth: 08 August 1960 - Asenovgrad
Marital status: married, with two children.
Constituency: 8-DOBRICH
Education: Medical University of Plovdiv
Profession: Surgeon
Qualifications: Healthcare Management
Foreign Languages: Turkish, English, Russian
Professional Career
- Surgeon, Local hospital in the town of Luky 1986-1988
- Senior Assistant Professor in a Common Surgery 1988-2001
- Medical University of Plovdiv
- Member of the Parliament, PG of MRF 2001-to date
- Author of scientific researches and publications concerning different aspects of the surgery field, microbiology and medical medicine
- Member of the Central Operational Bureau of the MR.
- Re-elected four times since 1996.
- Member of Parliament since 2001.
- Chairman on the Environment and Water Committee and Member of the Health Care Committee.
- Member of the Delegation to the Assembly of the West-European Union, Republic of Bulgaria, and to the USA Congress.
- Minister of Environment 2005
Parliamentary activity
- 39th National Assembly - Member (05 July 2001)
- Parliamentary Group of the Movement for Rights and Freedoms - Member (05 July 2001)
- Health Care Committee - Member (20 July 2001)
- Environment and Water Committee - Chairperson (20 July 2001)
- Delegation to the Assembly of the West-European Union - Member (03 August 2001)
Cristian David, Vice President
Date / place of birth : 26.12.1967, Bucharest
Education: . 2006 PhD in Economic Sciences, Academy for Economic Studies (ASE) , Bucharest
PhD thesis: 'Statistic analysis of the efforts and of the effects of Romania 's accession to the European Union'
. 2004 Post-graduate studies in national security - National College for Defense
. 1997 Economist - Department of Statistics, Cybernetics and Economic IT, Academy for Economic Studies, Bucharest
. 1986 Graduation - physics-chemistry section - C. A. Rosetti College , Bucharest
Professional career: . 2007-2008 — Minister of Interior and Administrative Reform
. 2004-2007 - Minister Delegate
The Control of the Implementation of the Internationally Funded Programs and of the Acquis Communautaire
. 2004- Senator
Member of the Human Rights, Cults and Minorities Committee
. 2001-2004 Associated Lector - Department of Statistics, Cybernetics and Economic Forecast, Academy for Economic Studies
. 1999-2004 Manager - Team International Consult Ltd.
. 1997-1998 Counselor - Ministry of Youth and Sports
Membru al Biroului Comitetului Interguvernamental pentru Politici de Tineret din cadrul Consiliului Europei
. 1995-1996 Manager - Team International Import Export Ltd.
. 1992-1994 Manager - Van Soestbergen Import Export Ltd.
. 1990-1991 Designer - TMUCB Project Center
Political career: . 2006 - Member of the Central Political Committee of PNL
In charge with the training and education activities
. 2006 - Founding Member of the Liberal Studies Institute
. 2005-2006 Member of the Central Permanent Board of the National Liberal Party (PNL)
Coordinator of the activities of the Special Commissions inside the National Representatives Council
. 2004-2005 President of the External Affaires Commission of PNL
. 2003-2004 Member of the European Liberal Democrat and Reform Party (ELDR) Committee for the ' European Elections, 2004 '
. 2002-2004 Member of the PNL National Representatives Delegation
. Member of the External Affairs Commission
. Member of the Commission for Defense and Public Order Policies
. Member of the European Integration Commission
. 1997-2004 Director of the Department of External Relations of PNL
. 1997-2000 Member of the Romanian Association for Freedom and Development
. 1993-1997 Secretary General of the National Liberal Youth Organization
. 1991-1993 Member of the Central Permanent Board of PNL
. 1990-1993 Coordinator of the National Liberal Student Organization; Counsellor for the Free Congress Foundation, 1992-1993 ; Counsellor for the Friedrich - Naumann Foundation, 1990-1992
Scientific Works: ' The Dynamics of The European Legislation. The Framework-Law of European Statistics ' The Romanian Statistics Review, No.1/2006
' Strategic Management in Statistics' - The International Symposium organized by EUROSTAT and AELS, in Serbia Montenegro, July, 2005 - The Romanian Statistics Review, No.6/2005
'The Informational Statistic System and the Quality of Data' and 'Canonical Optimization Method'
Papers of the 7 th International Conference of Economic IT, Bucharest , May 2005
'International Comparison through Statistic Methods' - ASE, 2004
Wolfgang Gerhardt MP, Vice-President
Wolfgang Gerhardt is the chair of the Friedrich Naumann Stiftung, former leader of the German Free Democrat Party (FDP) and of the FDP Parliamentary Group in the Bundestag.
Born 31 December 1943 in Ulrichstein-Helpershain (state of Hesse), Wolfgang Gerhard studied political science, German studies and education at the University of Marburg and obtained his Doctorate degree in 1970.
From 1970 to 1978 he was the personal advisor to the Minister of Interior of the state of Hesse. In 1978 and until 1994 he was member of the state Parliament (Landtag) in Hesse. From 1983 till 1987 he was Chairman of the State Parliamentary Group of the FDP. He became Minister for Science and Art of the State of Hesse and Deputy Chairman of FDP in 1987 and kept this position until 1991
Since 1994 he is a Member of the Parliament (Deutscher Bundestag). From 1995 until 2001 he has been the Leader of the FDP.
Since October 1998 he is the Leader of the FDP Parliamentary Group in the Bundestag.
Wolfgang Gerhardt has been elected Vice-President of Liberal International at the Budapest Congress in 2002. He was re-elected at the 52nd Congress in Dakar in 2003, and the 53rd Congress in Sofia in 2005.
Bi-Khim Hsiao, Vice-President
Having lived and studied abroad, Hsiao began her political career with deep involvement in the international affairs of the Democratic Progressive Party. She started the office of the DPP Mission in Washington, DC in 1995, and since 1996 she has been appointed as the Director of International Affairs for the party by successive Chairmen, until 2008. She was also spokesperson and international affairs director for former President Chen Shui-bian in his 2000 and 2004 presidential election campaigns (and became an advisor to President Chen after he was first elected in 2000) as well as for former Premier Frank Hsieh's presidential election in 2008. Currently she is a special assistant to DPP Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen.
In December 2001 Bi-khim Hsiao was first elected to the Legislative Yuan representing overseas constituents, and she was re-elected in December 2004 from the district of Northern Taipei City. As a member of the Foreign Relations Committee since her fist tenure in the Legislature and eventualy chairing the committee, she has been active in establishing parliamentary exchanges and friendships with other countries. She has also taken leadership roles in international political party organizations that share the DPP values of democracy. She was the Secretary General of the Council of Asian Liberals and Democrats between 2004 and 2005 and has been Vice President of Liberal International since 2005. She is also a Asia 21 Fellow of Asia Society, Member of the Board of the Taiwan Foundation for Democracy, and Vice President of the Taiwan-Tibet Exchange Foundation.
Born in Kobe, Japan, Ms. Bi-khim Hsiao grew up in Tainan, Taiwan. She received an MA in Political Science from Columbia University and a BA in East Asian Studies from Oberlin College.
Jelko Kacin, Vice-President
Jelko Kacin was born on 26 November 1955 in Celje. He graduated from the Faculty of Social Sciences of the University of Ljubljana in 1981 — BA in Politics and Defense Studies.
After graduation until 1985 he worked as a defense consultant and was subsequently promoted to Head of the Department of Civil Defense. In 1990 he became Assistant to the Secretary of People's Defense in the Kranj municipality and later became Deputy Minister of Defense during Slovenia's first democratic government.
In May 1991, immediately before the ten-day war in Slovenia, he was appointed Minister of Information. During the Slovenian War of Independence he successfully promoted Slovenia's demand for independence both at home and abroad. Following the war he concentrated on promoting Slovenia abroad.
In March 1994 he was appointed Minister of Defence. During 1996 - 2000 he was Chairman of the National Assembly Foreign Affairs Committee. At the 2000 general election he was re-elected to the National Assembly. He became Chairman of the National Assembly Committee on Foreign Policy and was a member of the Committee on Defense, the Commission for European Affairs. In 2003 he was appointed to be observer to the European Parliament.
Since 2004 Jelko Kacin is Member of the European Parliament as representative of the Liberal Democracy of Slovenia. In the mandate of European parliament 2004-2009 he was a Member of the Committee on Foreign Affairs and Substitute Member of the Committee on Transport and Tourism. He was Vice-Chairman of the Delegation to the EU-Moldova Parliamentary Cooperation Committee and Substitute Member of the Delegations to the EU-Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia Joint Parliamentary Committee, the Delegation for relations with Iran, the Delegation for relations with the Korean Peninsula, and the Delegation for relations with the countries of south-east Europe.
In the previous mandate of EP Jelko Kacin was also Parliament's Rapporteur for Serbia and ALDE Shadow Rapporteur for Macedonia, Montenegro, and Albania. He was also Rapporteur for Parliament's 2006 Report on the European Agency for Reconstruction.
Together with Diana Wallice, vice president of the European parliament, he was initiator on Resolution on Srebrenica adopted by European Parliament in January 2009.
In June 2009 Jelko Kacin was re-elected to the European parliament. He is Vice-Chairman of Delegation for relations with Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Montenegro and Kosovo. He is Member of the Committee on Foreign Affairs and Delegation for relations with the Korean Peninsula and Substitute member in the Committee on Employment and Social Affairs, Committee on Transport and Tourism, Delegation to the EU-Ukraine Parliamentary Cooperation Committee, Delegation for relations with Iraq and Delegation to the Euronest Parliamentary Assembly. Jelko Kacin was again nominated as a Parliament's Rapporteur for Serbia.
From October 2005 to June 2007 Jelko Kacn was president of Liberal Democracy of Slovenia.
Robert Woodthorpe Browne, Vice-President
Born Little Gaddesden, England in 1943
Educated in London by the Jesuits at Stamford Hill
Studied at Poitiers and Barcelona Universities
BA (Hons) from London University (Birkbeck College) — Spanish/French
Married to Barbara (nee Zwiauer) 1966. One Son, Robert Alexander born 1975.
Languages: French, Spanish and German, with knowledge of several others
Hobbies: Forestry, 18th Century English Porcelain, Geography, History
Memberships: Fellow Royal Geographical Society, Member English Ceramic Circle, National Liberal Club, Executive Committees of the Lime Street Ward Club, Langbourn Ward Club, Gresham Society
Past Secretary of British German Association and Treasurer of British Ukrainian Chamber of Commerce
Registered Insurance Broker, former member of Lloyd's.
Reinsurance Underwriter and Broker since 1961, now specialising in Russia and Eastern Europe.
Political History:
Joined Liberal Party UK in 1960. Chair of various Young Liberal Branches.
Stood as MP for Westminster in 1979, 1997, 1999, 2001 and 2005 (against Tony Blair in Sedgefield); for Strasbourg 1979 and 1999 (East of England Region)
Former Chairman, now Vice President of Parliamentary Candidates Association.
Former Chairman, now Deputy Chairman and Vice President of the British Group of Liberal International.
Former Deputy Treasurer of the Liberal Democrats
Chairman of the International Relations Committee and Member of the International Affairs Team of the Liberal Democrats
Council Member of ELDR (UK delegation co-ordinator)
Member of Executive of Liberal International (UK delegation co-ordinator)
Josep Soler, Treasurer
Josep Soler is the Executive vice-president of the Catalan group of the LI (Llibertat i Democràcia) and its representative at LI Executive Committee meetings since the early 80's.
Born August 1st 1956 in Barcelona, he graduated in Economics (University of Barcelona), in Business (ESADE) and MBA (ESADE). He holds a Research Diploma on Accounting and Finances (London School of Economics)
He is at present CEO of the Institut d'Estudis Financers (IEF) the leading banking consulting and training institution in Spain, and Chairman of the European Financial Planning Association (EFPA). He is also Board member of the Barcelona Financial Centre Association, EBTN, ICF (Public owned bank), Trea Capital Partners SV and chief spokesperson for Borsadiner, the Spanish annual investment exhibition. He was Chairman of the European Bank Training Network, fellow and deputy Chairman of the Spanish Society of Financial Analysts in Catalonia, and Commercial Manager of the Barcelona Stock Exchange, among other positions
Josep Soler is a regular contributor and columnist at several newspapers, economic magazines and television and radio stations, as well as a frequent lecturer at seminar and conferences. He holds several awards and fellowships from professional and trade organizations.
In the liberal arena, in addition to his long standing active presence at LI meetings and events, he has been Board Director of Llibertat i Democràcia for more than twenty years, member of the executive board of EDC (Professor Trias Fargas initial party), vice-president of LYMEC (1978-81), founder of IFLRY, of JNC, the youth movement of Convergència where he was member of the National Council for six years, of JEF and UEF Spain and Catalonia and Forum International.
Although he has never stood in elections due to his professional commitments, Josep Soler has been linked to a large number of initiatives and accomplishments, linked to liberal and democratic politics, since he started his active involvement in youth democratic movements under the Spanish dictatorship, both at national and international levels.
Josep Soler has been elected treasurer of Liberal International at the Marrakesh Congress in 2006.
Silver Meikar, Treasurer
Silver Meikar was born on February 12, 1978 in Tartu, Estonia. He graduated from the University of Tartu with a degree in economics in 2005.
Silver Meikar has been a member of the Estonian Reform Party since 1997. He has served as a member of Tartu City Council from 1999 to 2002 and from 2005 to 2006. In 2003 he became a substitute member of the parliament of Estonia - Riigikogu - and a member of the Committee on Economics. Silver Meikar was set up as a candidate to the European Parliament in 2004. He lost his seat in Riigikogu in November 2004, but re-gained it on November 23, 2006, having worked in between as an advisor to the Estonian Reform Party faction in Riigikogu.
Silver Meikar was re-elected to Riigikogu on March 4, 2007. He is a member of the Committee on Foreign Affairs in and the chairman of Estonia - Serbia parliamentary group, Estonia - Ukraine parliamentary group, Estonia - Australia parliamentary group and of the Association in Defence of Democratic Development of Belarus as well as Burma Support Group. He is the vice-chairman of Estonia - Africa, Estonia - Great Britain, Estonia - Saudi Arabia, Estonia - United States, Estonia - Moldova and Estonia - Georgia parliamentary groups and of the Support Group for Democracy in Cuba.
In 2006 Silver Meikar published the book The Diary of the Orange Revolution on the events in Ukraine from November 2004 to January 2005 when he was one of the observers of the presidential elections in Ukraine and later on a participant in the Orange Revolution. Since then he has also been cooperating with democratic opposition in Belarus and advocating for human rights in Burma, China, Cuba etc., liberation of Tibet and the democratisation and sustainable development of the countries in Sub-Saharan Africa.
In May 2008 Silver Meikar was elected to be a member of the Bureau of the Liberal International.
Silver Meikar is married and has a daughter. His pasttime activities include football, basketball and skydiving.